Vehicle Control Services Ltd : Liverpool Airport

Lowercase

Hi all,

I am just looking for some advice on where I stand on a recent parking (if you would call it that) charge notice I received.

I am a private hire Taxi driver in Liverpool (DELTA), on dropping a fare off at John Lennon Airport, I exited the designated drop off point (5mins free, after 5 mins you must pay. As you can imagine there isn't a whole lot of time to collect money, unload car then do what I need to do before taking another job).
Heading out of the airport, away from anything that may be deemed dangerous, I pulled over for exactly 76 seconds (Yay for VCS sending out a picture time stamped..). The reason being I was putting my money in to my box, clearing the job and accepting another.

I am now being told that the charge now payable is £60.00 within 14days, if failure to do so it will be £100.00. Like most people, I refuse to handover my hard earned money unless it is completely justifiable. I would understand if I had cost them money, or parked in the car park for three hours and miraculously lifted my car over the barriers. But I haven't!

If it helps;

Contravention Date: 01/12/2012
Issue Date of This Notice: 30/01/2013
No Stopping/Waiting in Restricted Areas or Roadways

Any input on these cowboys would be greatly appreciated, I am ideally going to appeal it as, to be honest, I am disgusted that they want £60.00! I have had two fines in the four year's I have been driving and it has always been £30, then doubled if you do not pay within their time limits.
Obviously I do not want any CCJ's arriving through my door with a sickening bill nor any black marks against my name, so if I am best paying this then your opinion matters greatly.

I have reviewed the forum prior to setting up this post, and the general consensus I am seeing is to simply ignore. When appealing, does the content in which I write have any weight in their decision, are there any key phrases I should throw in?

Regards,
Lowercase

Stroma

Just ignore them, there is no way vcs will try court not after the hiding they had hmrc v vcs (google it) , they don't have the legal right to even offer parking, not that this is !

There won't be any ccjs as they would need to take you to court and win first. No boys will turn up at the door, this won't risk your credit history. Keep the fare, it's hard enough to earn money this time of year as a taxi driver without giving money to a scam company.

adebov

Do Liverpool cabbies get on with one another, or is it Taxi wars like here?

Get together and arrange for ALL Liverpool taxis to boycott JLA en masse until the airport talk some sense into THEIR sub-contractors
I'd like to see how a modern airport would manage to function without being served by taxis.

Or just ignore!

Stroma

The problem with that is some drivers are only to willing to go ahead and pick up fares anyway, private hire drivers can only pick up prearranged fares, if they refuse fares they cut their own throats so to speak.

Also this time of year things are really quiet for taxis, and things are real tough, there won't be any action enmasse over a situation like this IMO

So the advice of ignore is still the best option.

The_Slithy_Tove

Lowercase wrote: »

When appealing, does the content in which I write have any weight in their decision, are there any key phrases I should throw in?

No, none at all. The automatic response is always "appeal rejected." That's why it's easier to ignore. No point appealing to a better side that they don't have.

Lowercase

Thank-you for your replies.

Ensuring there is a paper trail, even if I am wasting my time, I will write out a short 'appeal' and send it recorded. I have no intention on paying this 'fine', I just fear the repercussions (as stated before, there won't be any! ). I've lasted 22 years without a black mark against my name, I do not want to start now!

Regarding the Taxi comment: Unfortunately the company I work for are hated by most cab-firms in Liverpool due to our popularity, so we're alone, and even then we would struggle doing any form of petition due to the nature of our job - i.e. we must pick up in order to pay bills! Unfortunately.

Will keep ya'll posted on any form of responses I get.

spacey2012

You have completely misunderstood what it is they have sent you.
It is a begging letter.

Stroma

Don't waste money on this, send them an email if you are so inclined to contact them. Remember despite everything don't pay them a penny, they are just trying to fleece you.

esmerobbo

Lowercase wrote: »

Regarding the Taxi comment: Unfortunately the company I work for are hated by most cab-firms in Liverpool due to our popularity, .

Oops:cool: Totally off topic but do you mean because you rank up inside the City boundary and nick their work. Your council charges are lower you pay less insurance as you are from outside the city, yet work mainly in the City and undercut the local firms??? Just sayin!

Oh and my brother and nephew work for Delta!!;)

Back on topic ignore VCS. Send an appeal if you wish but ignore their rejection!

Lowercase

esmerobbo wrote: »

Oops:cool: Totally off topic but do you mean because you rank up inside the City boundary and nick their work. Your council charges are lower you pay less insurance as you are from outside the city, yet work mainly in the City and undercut the local firms??? Just sayin!

Oh and my brother and nephew work for Delta!!;)

Back on topic ignore VCS. Send an appeal if you wish but ignore their rejection!

We (the drivers) can't help it if the students/hospitals opt to use us, or the ignorance-is-bliss owner of Delta advertises anywhere he can in the South. If there is work in Norris Green, and it's quiet in Bootle, I'm going straight to Norris Green.
IMO it all comes down to who runs the firms, and unfortunately for their drivers I don't see a lot of advertisement for the likes of Excel, Village etc out of the boundary, let alone within.

Can't comment on the insurance as I don't know what the Liverpool drivers' are paying, however for a settle car in Sefton it varies between £140.00 - £190.00 per-week, as I'm sure you are aware that will include Tax, repairs etc. I have my own car on the road, but due to my age I'm paying £205.00 a week just for insurance, and nothing else.

So yeah, I will gladly rank up anywhere I can to hit £298.00 before my own

Cheers.

Stroma

It doesn't cost anywhere near that to insure a hackney or private hire vehicle, I was paying circa £2000 to £2400 a year for my vehicles, and I had quite a few in my area. I was running skoda octavias and superbs plus 7 seat hackneys.